Fastener device and disposable product using the same

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a fastener device. The fastener device includes a first tape section having a free end portion and a first connection portion opposing the free end portion; a second tape section having a second connection portion and a first anchor portion opposing the second connection portion The second connection portion is joined to the first connection portion of the first tape section. The fastener device further includes a third tape section having a third connection portion and a second anchor portion next to the third connection portion. The third connection portion is joined to the second connection portion of the second tape section. The third connection portion is joined to a branch connection portion between the second connection portion and the first anchor portion of the second tape section. The present invention is also directed to a disposable product which employs the fastener device. The present invention is further directed to a disposable pull-on garment which employs the fastener device as a disposal device.

FIELD

The present invention relates to fastener devices and disposableproducts using the same. Examples of such disposable products includesweat bands, bandages, body wraps, disposable garments includingdisposable diapers (adult and baby), and disposable absorbent padsincluding sanitary napkins and incontinence devices. The presentinvention has a particular applicability to disposable pull-on garmentssuch as pull-on diapers, training pants, incontinent briefs, and thelike.

BACKGROUND

Fastener devices have previously been used in a variety of disposableproducts, including sweat bands, bandages, body wraps, and disposablegarments including disposable diapers, and disposable absorbent padsincluding sanitary napkins and incontinence devices. Fastener devicesare often provided in such products and used for joining a part of theproduct to another member (which may be provided within or outside theproducts). The fastener devices include a securing means which canmechanically or adhesively secure one member to another member.

One example of application of fastener devices is a waist fastenerdevice which is often used in disposable diapers. In this example, thefastener device is used for fastening between the front panel and backear panels (or side panels) of diapers. Examples of such fastenerdevices are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,594 issued toBuell on Nov. 19, 1974.

Another example of application of fastener devices is a disposal devicewhich is used for securing a soiled pull-on garment in a convenientdisposal configuration after the pull-on garment has been soiled. Inthis example, the fastener device (or the disposal device) is providedon the garment-facing surface of a backsheet. The convenient disposalconfiguration is achieved by securing a part of the backsheet to theother part of the backsheet through the fastener device. Examples ofsuch fastener devices are disclosed, for example, in InternationalPublication No. WO 94/09736 (Rollag et al.) published on May 11, 1994and European Patent Publication No. 0623330A2 (Hayase et al.) publishedon Nov. 9, 1994.

As is noted in the above, the fastener devices are often provided indisposable products (or garments) and can be used in different manners.It is generally expected that the fastener devices are firmly secured tothe disposable products, otherwise they tend to be separated from thedisposable products by a force which may be externally (and sometimesaccidentally) applied during the use of the product. For example, when afastener device is used in a disposable pull-on garment as a disposaldevice, it is secured to the garment-facing surface of the backsheet.Recently there is a trend that the disposable pull-on garments oftenhave an outer cover nonwoven fabric which covers the entiregarment-facing surface of the backsheet to provide a cloth-like garmentfeel. It has been discovered that users of the disposable pull-ongarments tend to prefer a soft touch of such an outer cover nonwovenfabric. It is generally noted that soft nonwoven fabric tend :to have aweak mechanical strength. The disposal device is attached to the outercover nonwoven fabric in the disposable pull-on garments. As a result,the disposal device tends to be more easily separated from the outercover nonwoven fabric during use. In particular, in the operation ofpulling the grip tab of the disposal device to extend the preliminaryfolded tape sections (normally just before the actual use of thedisposal device), the portion which secures the disposal device to theouter cover nonwoven fabric tends to be easily tom thereby causing anundesirable separation of the disposal device from the disposablepull-on garment.

Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a fastener device which canbe more firmly secured to disposable products.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a fastener device. The fastenerdevice includes a first tape section having a free end portion and afirst connection portion opposing the free end portion; a second tapesection having a second connection portion and a first anchor portionopposing the second connection portion. The second connection portion isjoined to the first connection portion of the first tape section. Thefastener device further includes a third tape section having a thirdconnection portion and a second anchor portion next to the thirdconnection portion. The third connection portion is joined to the secondconnection portion of the second tape section. The third connectionportion is joined to a branch connection portion between the secondconnection portion and the first anchor portion of the second tapesection.

The present invention is also directed to a disposable product whichemploys the fastener device.

The present invention is further directed to a disposable pull-ongarment which employs the fastener device as a disposal device.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become evident to those skilled in the art from readingof the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed that the inventionwill be better understood from the following description of preferredembodiments which is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsand which like designations are used to designate substantiallyidentical elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of thefastener device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another preferred embodiment of thefastener device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one preferred embodiment of thedisposable pull-on garment of the present invention in a typical in useconfiguration;

FIG. 4 is a simplified plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 inits flat uncontracted condition showing the body-facing side thegarment; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pull-on garment shown in FIG. 3 whenit is secured in a convenient disposal configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

All cited references are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties. Citation of any reference is not an admission regarding anydetermination as to its availability as prior art to the claimedinvention.

Herein, “comprise” means that other element(s) and step(s) which do notaffect the end result can be added. These terms encompass the terms“consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”.

Herein, “pull-on garment” refers to articles of wear which have adefined waist opening and a pair of leg openings and which are pulledonto the body of the wearer by inserting the legs into the leg openingsand pulling the article up over the waist.

Herein, “disposable” describes garments which are not intended to belaundered or otherwise restored or reused as a garment (i.e., they areintended to be discarded after a single use and, preferably, to berecycled, composted or otherwise disposed of in an environmentallycompatible manner).

Herein, “pull-on diaper” refers to pull-on garments generally worn byinfants and other incontinent individuals to absorb and contain urineand feces. It should be understood, however, that the present inventionis also applicable to other pull-on garments such as training pants,incontinent briefs, feminine hygiene garments or panties, and the like.

Herein, “panel” denotes an area or element of the pull-on garment.(While a panel is typically a distinct area or element, a panel maycoincide (functionally correspond) somewhat with an adjacent panel.)

Herein, “layer” does not necessarily limit the element to a singlestrata of material in that a layer may actually comprise laminates orcombinations of sheets or webs of the requisite type of materials.

Herein, “joined” or “joining” encompasses configurations whereby anelement is directly secured to another by affixing the element directlyto the other element, and configurations whereby the element isindirectly secured to the other element by affixing the element tointermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the other element.

Herein, “uncontracted state” is used to describe states of pull-ongarments in its unseamed (i.e., seams are removed), flat and relaxedcondition wherein all elastic materials used are removed therefrom.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of thefastener device 10 of the present invention. This fastener device 10 canbe provided on any disposable product 200 which needs to have afastening mechanism. When the fastener device 10 is used in a disposablegarment, it is preferably provided on a backsheet 22 of the garment (orthe product 200) which preferably includes an outer cover nonwoven layer74 and a liquid impervious plastic film 68. Thus, FIG. 1 shows a part ofsuch a backsheet 22 as well as the fastener device 10. (The disposableproduct 200 which the present invention can be applied to will bedescribed in detail hereinafter.)

Referring to FIG. 1, the fastener device 10 includes first, second andthird tape sections 1, 2 and 3 which are connected together. Althoughthe first, second and third tape sections 1, 2 and 3 are shown as beingspaced apart each other in FIG. 1, practically they are folded and piled(or layered) together before the fastener device 10 is actually used forfastening.

The first, second and third tape sections 1, 2 and 3 may be formed by athin plastic film, a paper or a nonwoven material. In a preferredembodiment, each of the first, second and third tape sections 1, 2 and 3is formed by a thin polypropylene film. A preferred polypropylene filmis available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Pual,Minn., U.S.A., under Code No. BOPP, CPP.

The first tape section 1 has a free end portion 4 and a first connectionportion 11 opposing the free end portion 4. The first tape section 1also has an inner surface (i.e., an adhesive surface) 1 a and an outersurface (i.e., a low adhesion surface) 1 b opposing the inner surface 1a. The inner surface 1 a is coated with an adhesive material 14, whilethe outer surface 1 b is coated with a low adhesion material for releasetreatment (not shown in FIG. 1). The adhesive material 14 on one handfirmly adheres to the inner surface 1 a of the first tape section 1, andthe other hand is adapted to be attached and re-attached to othercomponent (not shown in FIG. 1) to which a fastening is required in thedisposable product 200. The adhesive material 14 provided at the firstconnection portion is used to connect the first tape section 1 to thesecond tape section 2. The adhesive material 14 is used to keep theinner surface 1 a of the first tape section 1 adhering to the secondtape section 2 with an appropriate adhesion strength before the fastenerdevice 10 is unfolded. A preferred adhesive material for the material 14is a pressure-sensitive adhesive which has a basis weight of from about10 g/m² to about 50 g/m², more preferably from about 20 g/m² to about 40g/m². In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive material 14 has a basisweight of about 35 g/m².

In a preferred embodiment, the inner surface 1 a at the free end portion4 is free of adhesive so that it can form a grip tab for picking it upand gripping it by user's fingers to extend the tape sections 1, 2 and3. Alternatively and more preferably, the adhesive coating portion atthe free end portion 4 is provided with a thin film strip material 8which covers or masks the adhesive to form the grip tab 9 as shown inFIG. 1. Yet alternatively, the grip tab 9 can be formed by folding overthe free end portion 4 to the inner surface 1 a of the first tapesection 1, and attaching it to itself (not shown in FIG. 1).

The second tape section 2 has a second connection portion 12 and a firstanchor portion 5 opposing the second connection portion 12. The secondconnection portion 12 is the portion that is used to connect the secondtape section 2 to the first tape section 1. The first anchor portion 5is the portion that is used to secure a part of the second tape section2 to the product 200. The second tape section 2 has a first surface(i.e., an adhesive surface) 2 a and a second surface (i.e., a lowadhesion surface) 2 b opposing the first surface 2 a. The first surface2 a is coated with an adhesive material 15, while the second surface 2 bis coated with (or release treated with) a low adhesion material (notshown in FIG. 1). The second connection portion 12 is turned overtowards the first tape section 1 so that a fold 17 is formed. The firstand second tape sections 1 and 2 are connected through the adhesivesprovided at the first and second connection portions 11 and 12. Thefirst anchor portion 5 of the second tape section 2 is secured to a partof the product 200 through the adhesive material 15, i.e., the adhesivematerial 15 needs to keep the first anchor portion 5 of the second tapesection 2 secured to the part of the product 200. The adhesive material15 also needs to keep the first surface 2 a of the second tape section 2adhering to the third tape section 3 with an appropriate (or not toostrong) adhesion strength before the fastener device 10 is unfolded. Apreferred adhesive material for the material 15 is a pressure-sensitiveadhesive which has a basis weight of from about 10 g/m² to about 25g/m², more preferably from about 15 g/m² to about 20 g/m². In apreferred embodiment, the adhesive material 15 has a basis weight ofabout 17 g/m².

Referring again to FIG. 1, the third tape section 2 has a thirdconnection portion 13 and a second anchor portion 19 which is preferablypositioned next to the third connection portion 13. The third tapesection 3 has a first surface (i.e., an: adhesive surface) 3 a and asecond surface (i.e., a low adhesion surface) 3 b opposing the firstsurface 3 a. The first surface 3 a is coated with an adhesive material16, while the second surface 3 b is coated with (or release treatedwith) a low adhesion material (not shown in FIG. 1). The thirdconnection portion 13 is turned over towards the second tape section 2so that a fold 18 is formed. The third tape section 3 is connected to abranch connection portion BC which is chosen from the intermediate areabetween the second connection portion 12 and the first anchor portion ofthe second tape section 2. Preferably, the branch connection portion BCis positioned closer to the first anchor portion 5 than the secondconnection portion 12, more preferably right next to the first anchorportion 5 as shown in FIG. 1.

The second anchor portion 19 of the third tape section 3 adheres toanother part of the product 200 through the adhesive material 16.Consequently, the fastener device 10 is firmly secured to the product200 through the anchor portions 5 and 19. A preferred adhesive materialfor the material 16 is a pressure-sensitive adhesive which has a basisweight of from about 10 g/m² to about 50 g/m², more preferably fromabout 30 g/m² to about 40 g/m². In a preferred embodiment, the adhesivematerial 16 has a basis weight of about 35 g/m².

As shown in FIG. 1, the second tape section 2 is preferably formed by aunitary member of a plastic film, a paper or a nonwoven material.Alternatively, the second tape section 2 can be formed by two (or more)separate members as shown in, for example, FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2,the second tape section 2 is formed by a first member 6 and a secondmember 7 which are connected together. The first surface 2 a of thefirst tape member 6 is coated with an adhesive material 15a, while thefirst surface 2 c of the second tape member 7 is coated with an adhesivematerial 15 b. The first and second members 6 and 7 are preferablyformed by the same material as that used for the other tape sections 1and 3. The second tape section 2 shown in FIG. 2 have a similar tapestructure to the second tape section 2 shown in FIG. 1 except that thesecond member 7 is connected between the first member 6 and the product200 so that the second member 7 works as an anchor portion of the secondtape section 2. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive material 15 bhas a higher adhesion strength than that of the adhesive material 15 asuch that the second member 7 works as an effective anchor portion forthe second tape section 2 while the first member 6 has an appropriateadhesion strength against the low adhesion surface 3 b of the third tapesection 3.

The low adhesion materials which are preferably used for the first,second and third tape sections 1, 2 and 3 include a silicone compoundwhich is compatible with the adhesive materials on the tape sections 1,2 and 3.

As is noted by the above description, since the fastener device 10includes the second tape section 2 which is supported by the firstanchor portion 5 of the second tape section 2 as well as the secondanchor portion 5 of the third tape section 3, it is possible to keep thefastener device 10 firmly secured to the product 200. Thus, the fastenerdevice 10 can be kept firmly secured to the disposable product 200without being separated from the disposable product 200 by a force whichmay be externally applied (and sometimes accidentally applied) duringthe use of the product 200.

The fastener device of the present invention can be applied to a varietyof disposable products in need of a fastening mechanism. Preferreddisposable products include sweat bands, bandages, body wraps,disposable garments including disposable diapers (adult and baby), anddisposable absorbent pads including sanitary napkins.

In one embodiment, the fastener device 10 is used for a waist fasteningsystem in a disposable garment (e.g., a tape type disposable diaper). Inthis embodiment, the fastener device 10 is used for the fasteningbetween the front panel and the back ear panels of the disposablegarment. Such a usage of the fastener device is disclosed in, forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,594 issued to Buell on Nov. 19, 1974.

In a more preferred embodiment, the fastener device 10 is used in adisposable pull-on garment (e.g., a pull-on diaper) as a disposaldevice. After the disposable pull-on garment is soiled by excreta, it isfolded to contain the contents within the soiled pull-on garment. Thefolded garment is secured by the fastener device to prevent the contentsin the soiled pull-on garment from leaking out. Such a usage of thefastener device in disposable pull-on garments is disclosed in, forexample, International Publication No. WO 94/09736 (Rollag et al.)published on May 11, 1994 and European Patent Publication No. 0623330A2(Hayase et al.) published on Nov. 9, 1994.

Although the fastener device of the present invention can be used as adisposal device in any type of disposable garments, one preferredembodiment is described hereinafter by applying the present invention toa specific disposable pull-on garment.

FIG. 3 shows one preferred embodiment of a disposable pull-on garment ofthe present invention (e.g., a unitary disposable pull-on diaper).Referring to FIG. 3, the disposable pull-on garment 20 has a frontregion 26; a back region 28 and a crotch region 30 between the frontregion 26 and the back region 28. A chassis 41 is provided in the front,back and crotch regions 26, 28 and 30. The chassis 41 includes a liquidpervious topsheet 24, a liquid impervious backsheet 22 associated withthe topsheet 24, and an absorbent core 25 (not shown in FIG. 3) disposedbetween the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 22.

The disposable pull-on garment 20 further includes a pair of front earpanels 46 each extending laterally outward from the corresponding sidesof the chassis 41 in the front region 26, and a pair of extensible backear panels 48 each extending laterally outward from the correspondingsides of the chassis 41 in the back region 28. Each of the ear panels 46and 48 has an outermost edge 240 which forms an outermost edge line 242.At least one of the outermost edge lines 242 has a nonuniform lateraldistance LD from the longitudinal center line 100 (not shown in FIG. 3but in FIG. 4) in the uncontracted state of the garment 20. The pull-ongarment 20 further includes seams 32 each joining the front and back earpanels 46 and 48 along the corresponding edge lines 242 to form the twoleg openings 34 and the waist opening 36.

In preferred embodiments, the pull-on garment 20 includes a chassislayer 40 which generally determines the overall shape of the pull-ongarment 20. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the chassis layer 40 isan outer cover nonwoven layer 74 which covers all of the garment-facingsurface of the pull-on garment 20 to provide the feel and appearance ofa cloth garment. Preferably, the outer cover nonwoven layer 74 is acontinuous sheet or web formed by a nonwoven material. The continuoussheet (i.e., the outer cover nonwoven layer 74) defines the front region26, the back region 28 and the crotch region 30 between the front region26 and the back region 28. Each of the ear panels 46 and 48 includes aportion of the chassis layer 40. Preferred pull-on garments whichincludes such a continuous sheet 30 are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,569,234 issued to Buell et al. on Oct. 29, 1996.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one pair of, more preferably bothof, the pairs of the ear panels 46 and 48 are elastically extensibleonly in the lateral direction. In an alternative embodiment, the earpanels 46 and 48 can be elastically extensible both in the lateral andlongitudinal directions. Herein, “extensible” refers to materials thatare capable of extending in at least one direction to a certain degreewithout undue rupture. Herein, “elasticity” and “elastically extensible”refer to extensible materials that have the ability to return toapproximately their original dimensions after the force that extendedthe material is removed. Herein, any material or element described as“extensible” may also be elastically extensible unless otherwiseprovided. The extensible ear panels 46 and 48 provide a more comfortableand contouring fit by initially conformably fitting the pull-on garment20 to the wearer and sustaining this fit throughout the time of wearwell past when the pull-on garment has been loaded with exudates sincethe ear panels 46 and/or 48 allow the sides of the pull-on garment toexpand and contract.

The ear panels 46 and 48 may be formed by unitary elements of thepull-on garment 20 (i.e., they are not separately manipulative elementssecured to the pull-on garment 20, but rather are formed from and areextensions of one or more of the various layers of the pull-on garment).In a preferred embodiment, the ear panels 46 and 48 include at least oneunitary element or a continuous sheet (e.g. the chassis layer 40). thatforms a part of the chassis 41 and continuously extends into the earpanels 46 and 48. Alternatively, the ear panels 46 and 48 may onlyinclude discrete members (not shown in Figures.) which do not have anyunitary element that also forms a part of the chassis 41. Such an earpanel structure may be formed by joining the discrete members to thecorresponding sides of the chassis 41.

In a preferred embodiment, the pull-on garment 20 further includes seampanels 66 each extending laterally outward from each of the ear panels46 and 48; and tear open tabs 31 each extending laterally outward fromthe seam panel 66. In a preferred embodiment, each of the seam panels 66is an extension of the corresponding ear panels 46 and 48, or at leastone of the component elements used therein (e.g., the chassis; layer40), or any other combination of the elements. More preferably, each ofthe tear open tabs 31 is also an extension of the corresponding seampanel 66 or at least one of its component elements used therein (e.g.,the chassis layer 40), or any other combination of its elements.

In a preferred embodiment, the corresponding edge portions of the earpanels 46 and 48 are joined through the seam panels 66 in an overlappingmanner to make an overlapped seam structure as shown in FIG. 3.Alternatively, the front and ear panels 46 and 48 can be seamed in abutt seam manner (not shown in Figures.).

The bonding of the seams 32 can be performed by any suitable means knownin the art appropriate for the specific materials employed in the earpanels 46 and 48. Thus, sonic sealing, heat sealing, pressure bonding,adhesive or cohesive bonding, sewing, autogeneous bonding, and the likemay be appropriate techniques. Preferably, the seam panels 66 are joinedby a predetermined pattern of heat/pressure or ultrasonic welds whichwithstands the forces and stresses generated on the garment 20 duringwear. A preferred method for making the seams is disclosed in WO98/22285 (Schmitz) published on May 28, 1998.

A continuous belt 38 is formed by the ear panels 46 and 48, and a partof the chassis 41 about the waist opening 36 as shown in FIG. 3.Preferably, elasticized waist bands 50 are provided in both the frontregion 26 and the back region 28. The continuous belt 38 acts todynamically create fitment forces in the pull-on garment 20 whenpositioned on the wearer, to maintain the pull-on garment 20 on thewearer even when loaded with body exudates thus keeping the absorbentcore 25 (not shown in FIG. 3) in close proximity to the wearer, and todistribute the forces dynamically generated during wear about the waistthereby providing supplemental support for the absorbent core 25 withoutbinding or bunching the absorbent core 25.

A fastener device 10 is provided on the backsheet 22. Specifically, thefastener device 10 is secured to the outer cover nonwoven fabric 74 (notshown in FIG. 3) of the backsheet 22. Preferably, the fastener device 10is positioned on the longitudinal centerline 100 (not shown in FIG. 3but FIG. 4) in the back region 28 of the backsheet 22. Alternatively(but less preferably), the fastener device 10 can be positioned at anylocation of the backsheet 22 as long as it can work as a disposaldevice.

FIG. 4 is a partially cut-away plan view of the pull-on garment 20 ofFIG. 3 in its uncontracted state (except in the ear panels 46 and 48which are left in their relaxed condition) with the topsheet 24 facingthe viewer, prior to the ear panels 46 and 48 being joined together bythe seams 32. The pull-on garment 20 has the front region 26, the backregion 28 opposed to the front region 26, the crotch region 30positioned between the front region 26 and the back region 28, and aperiphery which is defined by the outer perimeter or edges of thepull-on garment 20 in which the side edges are designated 150 and 240,and the end edges or waist edges are designated 152. The topsheet 24 hasthe body-facing surface of the pull-on garment 20 which is positionedadjacent to the wearer's body during use. The backsheet 22 has thegarment-facing surface of the pull-on garment 20 which is positionedaway from the wearer's body. The pull-on garment 20 includes the chassis41 including the liquid pervious topsheet 24, the liquid imperviousbacksheet 22 associated with the topsheet 24, and the absorbent core 25positioned between the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 22. The garment 20further includes the front and back ear panels 46 and 48 extendinglaterally outward from the chassis 41, the elasticized leg cuffs 52, andthe elasticized waistbands 50. The topsheet 24 and the backsheet 22 havelength and width dimensions generally larger than those of the absorbentcore 25. The topsheet 24 and the backsheet 22 extend beyond the edges ofthe absorbent core 25 to thereby form the side edges 150 and the waistedges 152 of the garment 20. The liquid impervious backsheet 22preferably includes a liquid impervious plastic film 68. The pull-ongarment 20 further includes the front ear panels 46 each extendinglaterally outward from the chassis 41, and an inner barrier cuffs 54.

The pull-on garment 20 also has two centerlines, a longitudinalcenterline 100 and a transverse centerline 110. Herein, “longitudinal”refers to a line, axis, or direction in the plane of the pull-on garment20 that is generally aligned with (e.g. approximately parallel with) avertical plane which bisects a standing wearer into left and righthalves when the pull-on garment 20 is worm. Herein, “transverse” and“lateral” are interchangeable and refer to a line, axis or directionwhich lies within the plane of the pull-on garment that is generallyperpendicular to the longitudinal direction (which divides the wearerinto front and back body halves). The pull-on garment 20 and componentmaterials thereof also have a body-facing surface which faces the skinof wearer in use and an garment-facing surface which is the oppositesurface to the body-facing surface.

While the topsheet 24, the backsheet 22, and the absorbent core 25 maybe assembled in a variety of well known configurations, exemplarychassis configurations are described generally in U.S. Pat. No.3,860,003 issued to Kenneth B. Buell on Jan. 14, 1975; and U.S. Pat. No.5,151,092 issued to Kenneth B. Buell et al. on Sep. 29, 1992.

The absorbent core 25 can be any absorbent member which is generallycompressible, conformable, non-irritating to the wearer's skin, andcapable of absorbing and retaining liquids such as urine and other bodyexudates. The absorbent core 25 may be manufactured in a wide variety ofsizes and shapes (e.g., rectangular, hourglass, “T”-shaped, asymmetric,etc.) and from a wide variety of liquid-absorbent materials commonlyused in disposable pull-on garments and other absorbent articles such ascomminuted wood pulp which is generally referred to as airfelt. Examplesof other suitable absorbent materials include creped cellulose wadding;meltblown polymers including coform; chemically stiffened, modified orcross-linked cellulosic fibers; tissue including tissue wraps and tissuelaminates; absorbent foams; absorbent sponges; superabsorbent polymers;absorbent gelling materials; or any equivalent material or combinationsof materials.

The configuration and construction of the absorbent core 25 may vary(e.g., the absorbent core 25 may have varying caliper zones, ahydrophilic gradient, a superabsorbent gradient, or lower averagedensity and lower average basis weight acquisition zones; or may includeone or more layers or structures). Further, the size and absorbentcapacity of the absorbent core 25 may also be varied to accommodatewearers ranging from infants through adults. However, the totalabsorbent capacity of the absorbent core 25 should be compatible withthe design loading and the intended use of the garment 20.

A preferred embodiment of the garment 20 has an asymmetric, modifiedhourglass-shaped absorbent core 25 having ears in the front and backwaist regions 26 and 28. Other exemplary absorbent structures for use asthe absorbent core 25 that have achieved wide acceptance and commercialsuccess are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,678 issued to Weisman etal. on Sep. 9, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,402 issued to Weisman et al. onJun. 16, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,231 issued to Angstadt on Dec. 19,1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,735, issued to Alemany et al. on May 30,1989.

The topsheet 24 is preferably compliant, soft feeling, andnon-irritating to the wearer's skin. Further, the topsheet 24 is liquidpervious permitting liquids (e.g., urine) to readily penetrate throughits thickness. A suitable topsheet 24 may be manufactured from a widerange of materials such as woven and nonwoven materials; polymericmaterials such as apertured formed thermoplastic films, aperturedplastic films, and hydroformed thermoplastic films; porous foams;reticulated foams; reticulated thermoplastic films; and thermoplasticscrims. Suitable woven and nonwoven materials can be included of naturalfibers (e.g., wood or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers (e.g., polymericfibers such as polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene fibers) or froma combination of natural and synthetic fibers. The topsheet 24 ispreferably made of a hydrophobic material to isolate the wearer's skinfrom liquids which have passed through the topsheet 24 and are containedin the absorbent core 25 (i.e., to prevent rewet). If the topsheet 24 ismade of a hydrophobic material, at least the upper surface of thetopsheet 24 is treated to be hydrophilic so that liquids will transferthrough the topsheet more rapidly. This diminishes the likelihood thatbody exudates will flow off the topsheet 24 rather than being drawnthrough the topsheet 24 and being absorbed by the absorbent core 25. Thetopsheet 24 can be rendered hydrophilic by treating it with asurfactant.

In a preferred embodiment, the topsheet 24 is a nonwoven web that canprovide reduced tendency for surface wetness; and consequentlyfacilitate maintaining urine absorbed by the core 25 away from theuser's skin, after wetting. One of the preferred topsheet materials is athermobonded carded web which is available as Code No. P-8 from FiberwebNorth America, Inc. (Simpsonville, S.C., U.S.A.).

In a preferred embodiment, the backsheet 22 includes the liquidimpervious film 68 as shown in, for example, FIG. 3. Preferably, theliquid impervious film 68 longitudinally extends in the front, back andcrotch regions 26, 28 and 30. More preferably, the liquid imperviousfilm 68 does not laterally extend into the at least one of the earpanels 46 or 48. The liquid impervious film 68 has a body-facing surface79 and an garment-facing surface opposing the body-facing surface 79.The liquid impervious film 68 is impervious to liquids (e.g., urine) andis preferably manufactured from a thin plastic film. However, morepreferably the plastic film permits vapors to escape from the garment20. In a preferred embodiment, a microporous polyethylene film is usedfor the liquid impervious film 68. A suitable microporous polyethylenefilm is manufactured by Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc., Nagoya, Japan andmarketed in the trade as PG-P.

A suitable material for the liquid impervious film 68 is a thermoplasticfilm having a thickness of from about 0.012 mm (0.5 mil) to about 0.051mm (2.0 mils), preferably including polyethylene or polypropylene.Preferably, the liquid impervious film has a basis weight of from about5 g/m² to about 35 g/m². However, it should be noted that other flexibleliquid impervious materials may be used.

The backsheet 22 further includes the outer cover nonwoven layer 74(i.e., the chassis layer 40) which is joined with the garment-facingsurface of the liquid impervious film 68 to form a laminate. The outercover nonwoven layer 74 may be formed by any type of nonwoven material.Preferred nonwoven materials include a carded nonwoven material,spunbonded nonwoven material and a meltblown nonwoven material. In apreferred embodiment, the outer cover nonwoven layer 74 is formed by acarded nonwoven material of polypropylene which is obtainable fromVliesstoffwerk Christian Heinrich Sandler GmbH & Co. KG,Schwarzenbach/Scale, Germany, under Code No. Sawabond 4111.

The outer cover nonwoven layer 74 preferably covers all of thegarment-facing surface of the pull-on garment 20 to provide a cloth-likefeel and appearance to the garment 20. The outer cover nonwoven layer 74can be joined to the liquid impervious film 68 by any suitableattachment means known in the art. For example, the outer cover nonwovenlayer 74 may be secured to the liquid impervious film 68 by a uniformcontinuous layer of adhesive, a patterned layer of adhesive, or an arrayof separate lines, spirals, or spots of adhesive. Suitable adhesivesinclude a hotmelt adhesive obtainable from Nitta Findley Co., Ltd.,Osaka, Japan as H-2128, and a hotmelt adhesive obtainable from H. B.Fuller Japan Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan as JM-6064.

The backsheet 22 is positioned adjacent the garment-facing surface ofthe absorbent core 25 and is preferably joined thereto by any suitableattachment means known in the art. Specifically, the body-facing surface79 of the liquid impervious film 68 may be secured to the absorbent core25 by a uniform continuous layer of adhesive, a patterned layer ofadhesive, or an array of separate lines, spirals, or spots of adhesive.Alternatively, the attachment means may include heat bonds, pressurebonds, ultrasonic bonds, dynamic mechanical bonds, or any other suitableattachment means or combinations of these attachment means as are knownin the art.

The pull-on garment 20 further includes elasticized leg cuffs 52 forproviding improved containment of liquids and other body exudates. Theelasticized leg cuffs 52 may include several different embodiments forreducing the leakage of body exudates in the leg regions. (The leg cuffscan be and are sometimes also referred to as leg bands, side flaps,barrier cuffs, elastic cuffs or gasketing cuffs.) Preferred elasticizedleg cuff designs are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,003issued to Buell on Jan. 14, 1975; U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,278 issued toLawson on Sep. 22, 1987; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,454 issued to Dragoo onJan. 3, 1989.

While each elasticized leg cuff 52 may be configured so as to be similarto any of the leg bands, side flaps, barrier cuffs, or elastic cuffsdescribed above, it is preferred that the elasticized leg cuff 52includes an elastic gasketing cuff 62 with one or more elastic strands64 as shown in FIG. 4, which is described in the above-referred U.S.Pat. Nos. 4,695,278 and 4,795,454.

The pull-on garment 20 preferably further includes an elasticizedwaistband 50 that provides improved fit and containment. The elasticizedwaistband 50 is that portion or zone of the pull-on garment 20 which isintended to elastically expand and contract to dynamically fit thewearer's waist. The elasticized waistband 50 preferably extendslongitudinally outwardly from the waist edge of the pull-on garment 20toward the waist edge of the absorbent core 25. Preferably, the pull-ongarment 20 has two elasticized waistbands 50, one positioned in the backregion 28 and one positioned in the front region 26, although otherpull-on garment embodiments can be constructed with a single elasticizedwaistband. The elasticized waistband 50 may be constructed in a numberof different configurations including those described in U.S. Pat. No.4,515,595 issued to Kievit et al. on May 7, 1985 and the abovereferenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,092 issued to Buell. After the pull-ongarment 20 has been soiled, the soiled garment 20 is tom open along theseams 32 by gripping the tear open tab 31 and the ear panel 46 or 48 toremove the soiled garment 20 from the wearer. Alternatively, ifappropriate, the soiled garment 20 may be just removed from the wearerby pulling down without tearing open the seams 32. The garment 20 isthen folded or rolled up by keeping the crotch portion in the center sothat the 30 fastener (or disposal) device 10 can come to the outside ofthe rolled garment 20 for a convenient disposal as shown in FIG. 5,while containing the contents within the rolled garment 20.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the grip tab 9 of the fastener device 10 isfirst pulled by the user's fingers towards the direction DR1 to separatethe first tape section 1 from the second surface 2 b of the second tapesection 2 which are initially adhered together. Since the second tapesection 2 is supported by the first anchor portion 5 of the second tapesection 2 as well as the second anchor portion 19 of the third tapesection 3, it is possible to keep the fastener device 10 firmly securedto the backsheet 22 (or the product 200). After the grip tab 9 is pulledtowards the direction DR1, then it is also pulled towards the oppositedirection DR2 to separate the second tape section 2 from the secondsurface 3 b of the third tape section 3 which are also initiallyadhered. At this stage, since the second tape section 2 is supported bythe second anchor portion 19 of the third tape section 3 as well as thefirst anchor portion 5 of the second tape section 2, it is againpossible to keep the fastener device firmly secured to the backsheet 22(or the product 200).

This advantage has been becoming more important since recent disposablepull-on garments tend to use a thinner nonwoven fabric for the outercover nonwoven layer 74 of the backsheet 22. By using the fastenerdevice 10 which has the structure shown in FIG. 1 (or FIG. 2), thefastener device 10 can be more firmly secured to the thin outer covernonwoven layer 74 without being separated therefrom.

The unfolded tape sections 1, 2 and 3 are them extended over the endedges 152 of the folded or rolled garment 20 so that the first tapesection 1 can reach the landing position LP on the backsheet 22. Thelanding position LP can be any position on the backsheet 22 which canprovide a convenient disposal by the fastener device 10 as shown in FIG.5. This convenient disposal configuration can maintain the contentswithout leaking out.

It is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein arefor illustrative purpose only and that various modifications or changeswill be suggested to one skilled in the art without departing from thescope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fastener device, comprising: a first tapesection having a free end portion and a first connection portionopposing the free end portion; a second tape section having a secondconnection portion and a first anchor portion opposing the secondconnection portion, the second connection portion being joined to thefirst connection portion of the first tape section, the secondconnection portion is turned over towards the first tape section so thata first fold is formed; a third tape section having a third connectionportion and a second anchor portion next to the third connectionportion, the third connection portion being joined to the secondconnection portion of the second tape section, the third connectionportion being joined to a branch connection portion between the secondconnection portion and the first anchor portion of the second tapesection, the third connection portion is turned over towards the secondtape section so that a second fold is formed.
 2. The fastener device ofclaim 1, wherein the second tape section is formed by a unity member. 3.The fastener device of claim 1, wherein the adhesive is apressure-sensitive adhesive.
 4. The fastener device of claim 1, whereinthe low adhesion surfaces of the second and third tape sections aretreated with a silicone compound.
 5. The fastener device of claim 3,wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive of the second tape section has abasis weight of from about 10 g/m² to about 25 g/m².
 6. A disposableproduct comprising the fastener devise of claim
 1. 7. A disposablepull-on garment having two leg openings and a waist opening, comprising:a backsheet; and a disposal devise provided on the backsheet; thedisposal devise including the fastener devise of claim 1; wherein thefastener device is joined to the backsheet through the first and secondanchor portions.